Empowered Women Conquer Fear
You are a smart, amazing woman. Believe it and do not let anyone else push you to become like someone else. Transformation is not a process of pleasing others. It’s a way to become the most authentic YOU!
If you suspect the need to make big changes in your life, the first hurdle is getting past fear. It’s normal to feel uneasy in the face of questions like, “Can I ever regain my joy and vitality?” “Can I find myself again?” “What if I fail?” Just asking these questions means you need change –– and we are all afraid of change.
You may not even realize you feel fear. Can you focus? Can you envision a better future and make a plan? If not, that’s fear getting in the way. It’s like facing a blank wall. Doubt and confusion overwhelm all of us from time to time, but you can triumph if you hold this vision: I am truly independent, self-sufficient, engaged, excited and happy again!
So don’t worry about fears and doubts right now. We’ll build up your strength first, and then you’ll face––and conquer––your fears. You’ll take back your personal power. You’ll transform into the strong capable woman I know you are, with an abundance of inner beauty and gifts to share.
I worked with a woman a few years ago whose business started to fail as a result of the sudden recession in 2008. She floundered in the crisis, as she saw looming debt overcoming her ability to support her home and family. I’m not sure any of us saw her struggle at the time, but the feelings she described were fear… fear of failure and losing everything. She reached out to network with other women and was fortunate to connect with patient, supportive women. This led her to new friends and a new job. She has regained her confidence and joy in her work that comes from finding her purpose.
In her groundbreaking classic, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, author Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. sets out five truths about fear. We should recite these truths to ourselves 25 times a day, she says, while we work to build our confidence.
1) We will continue to feel fear as long as we are growing.
2) The only way to conquer a fear is to do the very thing we’re afraid of.
3) The only way to feel more confident is to do things we’re afraid of.
4) Everyone is scared of doing the unfamiliar.
5) Doing things that scare us is better than feeling helpless and powerless.
Yes, change is frightening, but we are willing to suffer through it when we see we’re moving toward something better. So get out there and do something you’d love to do but have been avoiding because it scares you!
Regardless of how confused or uncertain you might feel, the “Power to…” is always yours. No one can take away your “Power to” although you may share it with others. At every moment you have the power to create the life you truly want and deserve.
You deserve everything good, including the very best happiness in the world. But to actually receive it you must give yourself permission and work on accepting it.
Excerpted from “Claim Your Power” e-book by Nancy D. O’Reilly, Psy.D.